"The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are
revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this
law," DEU 29:29.

When we presume to know the secret will of God it only tends to cause us to disregard
His revealed will. Many people fall in this trap of the devil. Look at the history of
Jonah. See how Jonah presumed upon the secret will of God, and in so doing, he disobeyed
His revealed will.

JON 1:1-2 tells us the revealed will of God, "Now the word of the LORD came unto
Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against
it; for their wickedness is come up before me." That was God's revealed will. What
did Jonah do? We know the history; he fled. Verse 3 says, "But Jonah rose up to flee
unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship
going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them
unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD." Jonah disobeyed the revealed will of
God. It was a direct command of God. Why? He was presuming upon the secret will of God.

This is a very dangerous area. Old writers and ministers today get so preoccupied with
preaching election and the sovereignty of God that it brings people to a point where they
totally ignore our Saviour's direct command to repent. They govern their lives by His
secret will and becoming totally fatalistic. They completely ignore everything Christ has
said as His revealed will. This is what Jonah did. It is recorded for our learning and
edification.

Let's turn to JON 4:2. "And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O
LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto
Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of
great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil." Jonah is saying he knew the secret
will of God; he would repent of the evil. He knew God would show mercy and not destroy
Nineveh, so he didn't go to preach against it. This concept is very dangerous; it can be
devastating and totally destructive to gauge our actions and govern our lives by the
secret will of God instead of by His revealed will.

God has a very definite purpose for not revealing His secret will! "The secret
things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us
and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law," DEU 29:29.
Therefore, the Lord tells us in ISA 42:16: "And I will bring the blind by a way that
they knew not [WHY? so we stop presuming upon His secret will]; I will lead them in paths
that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things
straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them."

In other words, the Lord has a secret plan for your life and mine to make us as clay in
the hands of the Potter to bring us to the end of all resistance to the revealed will of
God, trusting in the Lord. That plan will not be altered by one jot or one tittle. We can
be as a bullock, unaccustomed to the yoke. When we are brought under the yoke of Christ,
we can rebel and fuss and jerk all we want to. We will not alter the course the Lord has
for us. He will place us in such ways which we know not that we will stop presuming upon
the secret will of God and begin walking in His revealed will. It is all for one purpose:
to bring us as the clay in the hand of the Potter, without resistance to the will of God,
trusting in the Lord.

In His own sovereign pleasure the Lord most often has a dual purpose in His dealings
with the children of men. Many times the Lord accomplishes more than one thing at a time.
He uses two people at variance with each other to accomplish His will in both people. Both
will find the Lord's hand in everything He brought about. The oppression of the proud is
not only used to humble God's people but to harden the proud for the day of destruction.
That sounds so rough, but let me read it to you out of ROM 9:17- 18. "For the
scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth."
The Lord hardened Pharaoh.

Didn't the Lord receive glory in the destruction of Pharaoh? The Lord hardened him that
He might be glorified in his destruction. That is being the clay in the Potter's hand. The
Lord had His purpose in the whole scenario. It had a dual purpose. He wanted to humble the
children of Israel before Him and bring them to trust safely in their God and see their
salvation. It was also that He be glorified in Pharaoh's destruction.

Do you know why the Lord allowed Pharaoh to oppress Israel to humble them? The glory of
the Lord in Pharaoh's destruction in the song of Moses shall ring in the courts of heaven
throughout all eternity. The Lord will be glorified as that song of Moses is sung upon
that sea of glass through all eternity, Cf., REV 15:2-3.

What do we see in the song of Moses? Let's look at EXO 15:2-4. "The LORD is my
strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an
habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is
his name [That song of Moses is recorded that we should not live in fear of the
oppressor.]. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen
captains also are drowned in the Red sea." That song of Moses is recorded for our
edification. It shall be sung by the saints in heaven upon the sea of glass, cf., REV
15:2-3. Amen.

My God and Father, day by day,
Far from my home in lifes rough way,
O teach me from my heart to say, "Thy will be done."
Though dark my path and sad my lot,
Let me be still and murmur not,
And breathe the prayer divinely taught, "Thy will be done."
What though in lonely grief I sigh
For friends beloved, no longer nigh,
Submissive still would I reply, "Thy will be done."
If thou shouldst call me to resign
What most I prize, it neer was mine;
I only yield thee what was thine, "Thy will be done."
Let by my fainting heart be blest
With thy sweet Spirit for its guest,
My God, to thee I leave the rest, "Thy will be done."

These on-line devotions are a ministry of Gospel Chapel
located in Conrad, Montana. We also have a daily devotion. See also our sermon notes. We pray this devotion
has been a blessing to those who read it. Thank you.